Washington According to US President Joe Biden, a Russian invasion of Ukraine would mean the end of the controversial German-Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2. At a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House on Monday, Biden said that in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine “there will be no more Nord Stream 2. We will put an end to this.”
When asked how he planned to do that on a project under German control, Biden said: “I promise you that we will do it.”
Scholz did not mention Nord Stream 2 by name. At the press conference, the SPD politician again emphasized that possible sanctions in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine had been prepared intensively.
Nord Stream 2 is to bring Russian gas to Germany, bypassing Ukraine. There has been massive criticism of the project in the USA for years, which has increased significantly since the escalation of the Ukraine crisis.
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The Federal Chancellor sees the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as a “serious threat to security in Europe”. What is important is a joint response from the alliance partners – USA, Europe, NATO.
Part of it is not to name everything, so as not to disclose all plans to Moscow in advance. However, Scholz promised: “We will act in complete agreement on the sanctions.” The transatlantic partners are united on the issue and would take the same steps. These would be very hard for Russia. From his point of view, this message had also reached Russia.
“Germany is one of America’s closest allies.”
(Photo: dpa)
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At the same time, all diplomatic opportunities should be used. There is a dual strategy of a clear announcement to Moscow and a willingness to engage in dialogue with Russia in all formats.
Berlin’s refusal to supply arms to Ukraine also causes irritation. Some allies have accused Scholz of not putting enough pressure on Russia in the Ukraine crisis. Doubts have also been raised in the USA as to whether Germany can be counted on in an emergency.
However, Joe Biden emphasized that Germany enjoys the complete trust of the United States. “Olaf Scholz doesn’t need to regain confidence,” said Biden on Monday when asked about Germany’s reliability in the Ukraine crisis.
Germany has the full confidence of the United States. “Germany is one of our most important allies in the world. There is no doubt about Germany’s partnership with the United States,” Biden said. “I have absolutely no doubts about Germany.”
Given the deployment of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, it is feared that the Kremlin is planning an invasion of Ukraine. Moscow denies that. It is also considered possible that the Russian side wants to stir up fears in order to persuade NATO to make concessions on demands for new security guarantees.
Olaf Scholz reaches Washington – conversation with Biden on Monday
The Chancellor’s visit to Washington marked the start of a diplomatic offensive. A week later, Scholz wants to travel to Kiev and then to Moscow. Before that, a meeting with the heads of state and government of the Baltic States is planned in Berlin. In addition, French President Emmanuel Macron and Poland’s head of state Andrzej Duda want to come to Berlin to talk about the crisis.
Parallel to Scholz’s visit to Washington, Macron traveled to Moscow on Monday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Macron and Putin had already had three crisis talks on the phone in the past few days. France currently holds the presidency of the Council of the EU. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) was in Kiev for talks on Monday.
More: Scholz in the US – Operation Damage Control. A comment.
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